Athletic Academic Advising (AAA) is designed to support student-athletes in their efforts toward academic success by providing a support system that supplements the existing university support systems. AAA assists student-athletes in achieving their educational, personal and professional goals. The program provides supervised study time, weekly advising meetings, tutoring and career development services as well as administers the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program.

Athletic Academic Advising Mission Statement

AAA is committed to providing informed, competent, and holistic advising that assists student-athletes in accomplishing their educational, career and life objectives. The primary responsibility of AAA is to cultivate and enhance student-athletes' opportunities for academic success as well as their development as the total "student-athlete". AAA creates and maintains a supportive environment where individual differences are appreciated and each person is respected. The best interest of student-athletes is the foundation of policies, procedures and programs.

Program Goals

To facilitate the students' successful completion of their chosen degrees

To encourage the students' career and personal development

To maintain the academic integrity of the university

To comply with the rules and regulations of DePaul University, the BIG EAST Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

To assist students in maintaining eligibility throughout their time at DePaul

AAA provides the following services to all student-athletes and managers regardless of sport, year in school or scholarship level:

Supervised Study Time

All new (first year and transfer) student-athletes and those under a 3.0 cumulative GPA are required to attend at least four hours of supervised study time per week. Others may be required to complete hours at the discretion of their AAA advisor and coach. Also known as Study Table, this time is provided so that students become more easily acclimated to the demands of college life. Students are required to sign in and out with the front desk monitor and must do at least 30 minutes of studying per session and no more than two hours a day. For those students who will benefit from a more structured approach, dates and times for Study Table are set by the AAA staff in consultation with the students' coaches.

Weekly Advising Meetings

All new (freshmen and transfer) student-athletes and those under a 3.0 cumulative GPA are required to attend weekly meetings with their AAA advisor. Others may be required to meet weekly at the discretion of their AAA advisor and coach. The student and the advisor review classes, homework, exams and study goals together.

Tutoring

AAA provides one-on-one tutoring assistance to all student-athletes free of charge. The program provides tutors in a wide range of subject areas, as well as academic strategies and study skills. Tutors provide guidance and support from the beginning of the thought process through the completion of the project. All tutors are highly qualified in their subject area and trained in NCAA rules compliance. Although the majority are high achieving undergraduates, a significant percentage are graduate students.

NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program

Student-athletes who attend DePaul University soon find out that the college experience is not limited to their endeavors in the classroom or in competition. At DePaul, student-athletes are part of a dynamic learning community that stresses the pursuit of intellectual and athletic excellence, personal growth, career readiness and a commitment to serving the greater community.

DePaul has always been a school for active learners, for those student-athletes who have the same competitive drive for excellence in the classroom and on the playing field. That is why the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) chose DePaul to be among the first schools to implement the NCAA CHAMPS/ Life Skills Program in the Fall of 1994. The NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program takes learning beyond the classroom to help student-athletes make the most of their college careers and is centered on the following five commitment areas:

Academic Excellence

For the 2014-2015 academic year, eight DePaul teams (women's basketball, women’s cross country, women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field, men’s golf, women's soccer, softball and women’s tennis) won BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Awards which are given to the team with the highest overall GPA in each conference sponsored sport. This was more than any other BIG EAST Conference school. DePaul student-athletes understand the importance of successfully balancing academics and athletics and AAA is here to assist student-athletes every step of the way.

Athletic Excellence

DePaul University has a long history of athletic excellence and by all means, we plan to continue to provide the very best in competition and to continue our winning ways. But athletics on the Division I level is also about sportsmanship and about the well- being of the student-athlete.

Personal Development

From freshman orientation through graduation, DePaul provides programming to help foster student-athletes' overall development. The reality is that college can sometimes be difficult and the decisions made during these years may affect students for the rest of their lives. Our goal is to provide the necessary information to help student-athletes make good decisions. Programs ranging from time and stress management to health issues to leadership training help prepare DePaul students to have successful college careers.

Career Development

Of course, after their careers at DePaul, students go on to seek fulfilling careers in their chosen fields of endeavor. AAA helps to make this a more smooth transition with career development guidance. AAA assists students with every phase of the transition from college to the working world in cooperation with DePaul's Career Center. Through this collaboration, students can take advantage of resume writing and interviewing skills workshops and job search strategy seminars.

All student-athletes must participate in one career development activity a quarter and have a resume on file with AAA. All junior student-athletes will complete a mock interview with a professional working in the field they hope to pursue.

The City of Chicago provides DePaul a great classroom to prepare students for a career once they graduate. Student-athletes are encouraged to participate in DePaul's internship programs to gain career related experience. As graduation nears, student-athletes can interview with one of the hundreds of companies that interview job candidates on-campus through the University's nationally renowned Career Center.

Community Service

Community Service is an important part of a DePaul education and a component of the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program. Dave Corzine, the Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics for Community Outreach, along with AAA, coordinates, advertises and tracks the community service activities of student-athletes. All student-athletes are required to participate in one community service event each quarter. During the past year, student-athletes have volunteered for the Kids Golf Foundation, Misericordia, the Sheffield Garden Walk, PAWS, CASA, and Special Olympics, to name just a few, as well as hosted hundreds of Chicago Public School children on campus for DePaul Athletics' Field Trip Days.

Other Services

In addition to the above services, AAA often provides referrals to other campus resources such as University Counseling, University Ministry, Center for Students with Disabilities, etc. These referrals are based on the individual needs of each student-athlete in consultation with coaches and athletic administrators.